


Warming Up to Christmas

by Kalorii



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Christmas, Fluff, Jackrabbit Week, M/M, Twelve Days of Jackrabbit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-14
Updated: 2013-12-25
Packaged: 2018-01-04 15:09:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 21,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1082484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalorii/pseuds/Kalorii
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack wants a traditional Christmas while Bunny avoids the holiday as much as he possibly can. It's up to an insistent winter spirit to change the Easter Bunny's mind and show him that Christmas isn't that bad.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I had originally intended to write fics for the holiday season a little bit before the Twelve Days of JackRabbit was announced over on Tumblr. This is probably one of the craziest ideas I've ever had and the first time I've ever written anything like this. Forgive me if things seem a bit...overboard?
> 
> This is going to be a fic for the twelve days, right up to Christmas Day. Some of them might be short, some of them might be long. Not all of them will be dirty, many of them will be just fluff or general lover's interactions.
> 
> With that said, enjoy the opening of my Christmas gift to everyone!

The first day of December is when most children - and even some adults - started counting down the days to Christmas. Others preferred to follow the method of the song, counting down twelve days until their favourite time of the year.

In the modern world, that usually meant everyone had already been subjected to the hustle and bustle of the season. Carols blaring non-stop in malls, on the radio and even by people on the street. The sales and so many doing their last minute shopping, searching for that perfect gift. Christmas parties, movies and children meeting Santa. It was a grand tradition that was so hard to pass over.

Unless you were the Easter Bunny.

Since the holiday had been established, Bunny had done his best to avoid it. Oh, he did help in the first few years since it was so low-key, very sensible. Good children would be given a toy that would spark their imaginations and wonder while bad children got coal and told to improve their behaviour. Everything had been fine until North had gotten a large ego about how important he was to keeping kids on the up-and-up.

Every year, Christmas seemed to come earlier and become more loud and obnoxious. Easter had turned into a celebration of chocolate and a thrill for the younger children on Easter morning's egg hunt. Yet there was hardly any of the glitz and glamour surrounding Aster's holiday.

These thoughts ran through Bunny's head as he slowly painted a rather ornate egg. It wasn't on one of his egglets but an egg-shaped stone, something that would last. He did it to avoid going to the Pole, to be tasked with helping that egotistical friend of his. It certainly didn't stop Jack from joining in then coming down to regale the Pooka with what they'd done that day.

"Bunny!"

Aster cringed as he heard his name being carried on the wind. He'd lost complete track of time while he worked which was precisely how he liked it.

With a heavy sigh, he set down his painted stone gently and looked over his shoulder. "Over here, frostbite," he called, knowing that he'd be found eventually.

It took no time at all before the young Guardian found him, drifting down quickly and easily to land in front of the Pooka. A wide smile was on his face and the hint of a laugh rose up in him. Clearly Jack had found some fun to be had in the workshop even when Bunny had thought there was little more to be had.

"I wish you'd been there today!"

Those words launched a million more as Jack went into detail about what had gone on while Bunny was busy in the Warren.

It was how things had been for at least three weeks now. North usually began his preparations long in advance out of necessity but Jack would only start helping a week or two before the start of December. Aster had tried to think of why the young Guardian even felt obligated to give a hand to someone who had done it every year without that extra help around. Maybe it was because of how linked the beginning of winter was with the Christmas holiday? He still hadn't figured it out.

Whatever it was, Bunny had always sat there and pretended to be interested in what went on at the Pole. He knew everything Jack told him as he'd been there what felt like a million times before. Feeding and grooming the reindeer, prepping the list to be read over multiple times, double-checking locations and routes. Aster remembered it all, recalling how he'd once been tasked to help create a route to a remote village. Those were the days he'd been excited to help.

Listening to Jack's tales, it was apparent that the reasons why Bunny was no longer involved in Christmas preparations were still there. It was too big, too overwhelming. Besides, unlike North, the Easter Bunny didn't have legions of helpers to ease the burdens of his holiday preparations.

Putting it like that, he supposed it did make him sound a little petty.

A blast of air brought Bunny back to the present, looking at his excited lover with a light smile.

"One of these days I'm going to drag you to the Pole with me," Jack said, leaning in and touching the tip of his nose to Aster's. It was a motion of affection to balance the words he spoke, or so Bunny assumed. Arms came up to wrap loosely around the rabbit's neck and the winter spirit let himself go limp, dangling from Bunny's neck with ease. "We could have a lot of fun, you know."

Though he fought against it, Bunny couldn't help but smirk, raising a brow. "What kind of fun, mate? The kind a child has or the way a rabbit does?"

Completely unfazed by what his lover was implying, Jack simply laughed and pulled himself up a bit. He pressed his lips to Bunny's, both of them giving into the need for one another. Aster wrapped his arms around the young Guardian's waist, still enjoying how well they seemed to fit together. Lithe fingers tangled into Aster's fur while the Pooka's nails lightly plucked at the hoodie Jack wore.

Eventually they broke their kiss but didn't pull away from one another. One hand slipped down, fingertips gently running through Aster's chest fur. "I mean it. I know that you don't like Christmas but maybe you could if you tried, Cottontail."

Aster grumbled irritably, tilting his head to nose at Jack's neck. He let his teeth lightly graze pale skin, wanting to leave a mark but knowing that now wasn't the time for that. "Bah, humbug," he growled lightly, letting out a soft puff of air and chuckling at how the winter spirit squirmed in his arms.

"Bunny," Jack whined, clearly torn between being irritated at his lover's indifference to Christmas and reacting to Aster's advances. It seemed that the former won out, Jack's hand coming up to awkwardly nudge Bunny's face upward. In the end, it took a tap from the young Guardian's staff to get Bunny to stop what he was doing. "Hear me out for once."

With great reluctance, Bunny let his lover go. There was a little bit of smug satisfaction as he watched Jack smooth out his hoodie and try to get his desire for more than a chat under control. Folding his arms across his chest, Bunny shrugged a little. "What's gotten into ya? It's not like I haven't celebrated Christmas before, frostbite."

"We've both done that but not _together_ ," Jack said, leaning on his staff as he tried to emphasise the last word.

Tilting his head, Bunny tried to understand precisely what Jack was getting at. They'd celebrated together, right? Sort of. Okay, so there were no decorated trees or wreaths hanging in the Warren but at least they'd been together. They really didn't even give gifts to one another, Bunny much preferring Jack's presence to some material object.

Grumbling in frustration, the winter spirit straightened himself. "We need to celebrate it right, Cottontail. I know you and North don't get along and you've got some weird hang up about Christmas," he said, giving Aster a pointed look which silenced him. Jack closed the distance between them then reached out with one hand, putting it on the Pooka's chest. "Just forget it for one year and try to have a little fun."

"What, you want me to start puttin' lights on all my trees and turnin' branches into wreaths?" Aster asked, furrowing his brow.

"Not all the trees, just one." Jack's blue eyes tilted up to look into Bunny's green ones, silently asking him for this.

Aster didn't know why this was so important, especially not after they'd been together for the last three Christmases. Or maybe it was because of that, because Bunny had denied the one time of year love meant the most. Truthfully, Bunny had never thought Valentine's Day counted and Jack had never been too big on that particular holiday, just Christmas.

Sighing softly, Jack held to his staff with both hands and turned his face down. "Forget it," he muttered.

It was Bunny's turn to sigh and he reached out with one hand to put it on Jack's shoulder. "All right, we'll do it your way. You've got twelve days to change my mind about celebratin' Christmas."

"Just like the song, huh?" the winter spirit said with a wry grin. Jack leaned in and pressed his lips to Bunny's in a quick kiss. "I'll get you to like Christmas, you'll see."

Still Jack pulled away, turning as if to leave. Frustrated, Bunny shouted after his lover. "Where are you goin'?"

"Back to the Pole! Don't worry so much, Cottontail. I know what I'm doing and I'll be back before you know it," he said before a breeze blew up and carried him quickly toward the tunnels.

All of this left Aster sitting there on his own, wondering precisely what he'd just gotten himself into. Was his entire Warren going to be covered in garland when Jack returned? Or, even worse, elves swarming up every tree and putting decorations everywhere. The very thought made Bunny's fur stand on end.

Shaking himself, the Pooka got to his feet then started hopping toward his burrow. He had a feeling he would need a bit more space if he were to fit a small tree inside.

"Still think Scrooge's got the right idea," Bunny muttered to himself. "Bah, humbug!"


	2. Chapter 2

"Back before you know it" turned into the next day when Jack returned with a large bag dragging behind him. Fortunately, the young Guardian was now familiar with the space and he looked around himself to be sure he wasn't knocking things over. Sometimes it still bothered Aster that his lover was cautious around him.

As Bunny helped to bring the bag that was obviously full of decorations into his home, he set it out of the way and eyed it dubiously. "Think you got enough?" he asked, sarcasm dripping from every word.

"I think so. You're not going to just decorate a tree and call it good," Jack said, waving his staff a little. He went to it and opened it up, pulling out several boxes, pulling the lids off of at least two to show that they were metallic Christmas balls. These he set aside then stood up, giving Bunny an expectant look for a moment before sighing in exasperation. "Hello? We need a tree if we're going to decorate anything."

When Aster was still reluctant to move, Jack took the initiative and grabbed his lover's hand. "Stop pouting and get a move on, Cottontail." He yanked him forward and out of his home, pulling the Pooka toward a line of evergreens.

These ones were still young, some of them small enough that they would fit inside of the burrow with little effort. While Bunny was still unsure about it all, something else made him stop, much to Jack's consternation. "Hold it, frostbite. We don't have anythin' to cut down a tree with. I don't keep that sort of thing hangin' around my Warren."

Instead of getting the irritated response that was expected, Jack grimaced then lifted up a finger. "Wait here," he said, darting back toward the burrow. Sure enough, the winter spirit returned with a small saw that would make short work of felling a tree. "Sorry, forgot about that. I had a feeling you wouldn't cut down a tree on your own," Jack said, a smirk on his lips.

Unable to protest any further, Aster followed to the line of trees. He looked at them blankly, not sure what his lover was looking for in one of these. All of them were full, not a broken or rotten branch between them. Peering over at Jack, he saw the young Guardian eyeing one carefully, reaching out to gingerly touch the needles.

"This one," Jack said, nodding decisively.

Placing the saw at the trunk, the horrible sound of wood being cut filled Aster's ears. He put them back and cringed, not used to the noise and unable to help much. It wasn't until Jack was nearly through when Bunny was called but not to lend a hand.

"It's going to fall toward you so you'd better move, rabbit," Jack said. He made a waving motion, trying to get his lover to move back enough.

The rest of the sawing was done quickly and the tree fell to the ground with a loud _thump_. It was really the first time in many ages that a tree had fallen in the Warren. It would be replaced quickly with a new sapling but it felt strange to see one purposefully cut down for decoration.

Either ignoring or not noticing the Pooka's mild distress, Jack held loosely to the saw. "We need some help to move this, unless you're going to drag it there by the trunk."

Snapping out of his thoughts, Bunny thumped his foot full on the ground. It wasn't the same tap he gave when he opened a hole to another location, more like the one rabbits did when they were in trouble. Jack let out a small noise as a group of egglets came walking up to where they stood and gathered around the tree. They wiggled under it and lifted it with ease, starting to march steadily toward the burrow with their master following them.

Looking over his shoulder when the winter spirit didn't move, Bunny laughed softly. "You're catchin' flies, mate. Let's get goin'."

It didn't take long before they were back at Aster's home, the egglets bouncing a little while the stand for the tree was set up. Unlike most trees in a human's home, this one wasn't going to be shedding its needles simply because it was removed from its roots. The tree was put into the stand and water was poured into the bowl.

"So I guess this isn't just any old water," Jack said, leaning in to look at it. "They put something into the water when Christmas trees are put up in a home." His eyes darted over to look at Bunny who was just finishing with the pitcher. "To keep it fresh."

Bunny laughed softly then got out from under the tree. "The water here would keep anythin' alive for years. Some of those flowers you see have been there for centuries," he said, setting the pitcher aside.

There was no hesitation before the young Guardian's eyes went wide and he scrambled to his feet. Pointing to the tree's stand, he arched a brow. "Are you saying... Is that from the fountain of youth? It's _real_?"

Aster rolled his eyes and shook his head. "It's no fountain, just the water in the Warren, mate. Sometimes it'll find its way up to the surface makin' what looks like a fountain." He pressed his lips together then pointed a finger at his mate. "Don't go sneakin' some out, either. This stuff is dangerous if a human drinks it. It might make 'em live for a long time but they wouldn't thank ya for it."

While he hated having to remind Jack of these things, it was clear that even he wasn't interested in spreading it around. In a rare show of seriousness, Jack's lips pressed together into a thin line and he nodded once. There was little need to worry.

The tension didn't last for very long at all and Jack's grin returned as he glanced toward the tree again. "You don't have electricity and using magic would be a waste," the winter spirit said, pausing to look at the Pooka with a slight grin. "That's what North said, anyway. He always uses magic to light his trees."

"He's still got a point. I'm not wastin' it to blind myself every mornin'. So how are we gettin' lights on this thing?" Bunny eyed the tree once more, bending down to move it a little more to the left. Once he got up, he was presented with what looked like a fancy gold bowl with a clip attached. "Candle holder?"

Taking it to look it over, he examined it closely. Unused but not from this era, he determined. It was a throwback to a time when things were simple, when Bunny actually enjoyed the holiday.

"We'll just have to make some room for them," Jack said, taking another and turning it over in his hand. "I brought a lot of different decorations. Go look then we can try to get this done."

It wasn't until Bunny looked into the bag that he realised how much thought had been put into this little endeavour. This meant a lot to Jack and it had taken opening a box to find delicately crafted silk flowers for Aster to understand it.

Of course this meant a lot to the winter spirit. He'd spent so much time alone, probably looking in on families on Christmas Day to see their joy and their celebrations. Jack more than likely yearned for that, to know what it was like to be a part of something so important. It went beyond just being a Guardian as they always had a celebration at North's on Christmas. Jack wanted it to be just them, two lovers enjoying a special time of year.

"Bunny?"

Lifting one of the colourful silk flowers from the box he held, Aster sraightened himself and turned around with a soft smile. "Let's use a few of these then we'll put some of those balls around 'em. But I guess this has to go on first." He pulled out a strand of silver garland, holding out one end for his lover to take.

There were no carols being sung but they didn't need them as they carefully decorated the tree. Jack had brought enough ornaments to cover every inch all the way around and it wasn't until the candles were in place that Aster looked critically at their work. Something was missing and it was obvious what it was.

"Where's the topper?" he asked with a small frown. He'd looked into the bag and couldn't remember seeing a special box with one in it. Now he returned to it, rooting through the remaining boxes that were still filled with some decorations. "Don't tell me ya forgot about the most important part, mate."

A soft laugh made Bunny straighten up, looking over to Jack who wasn't trying to hide his mirth. Furrowing his brow, Aster folded his arms over his chest. "All right, what's so funny?"

"Nothing. I just didn't think you knew one of the most important parts of a Christmas tree," Jack said, a smile still on his face. He didn't hesitate long before he went to a box that he'd obviously taken earlier and put off to the side. Instead of opening it himself, he weighed it in his hands before holding it out to his lover.

Not saying a word, Aster took the box and gave Jack a curious look before opening it. Laying on a cushion like it was the most important thing in the world was a brilliant snowflake that looked like it was made of ice. The centre of the snowflake had a candle holder which would point toward the back and illuminate it from behind.

Aster pulled the topper from its box with great care, setting the box aside to hold the snowflake with both hands. "Where did ya get somethin' like this?"

Jack shrugged, looking oddly modest. "I helped make one from ice and North had one of the yetis make it. I don't know what it's made from but they did a good job." The young Guardian cleared his throat and then looked up at Bunny. "You don't mind that it's a snowflake, do you? I could always get them to make a flower."

So that was it. Bunny hadn't missed that the tree was mostly "his," so to speak. Silk flowers - pointsettias, actually - were dotted all around the tree. There had been other things to choose from, like snowflakes and even tiny wooden toys but, as expected, Aster had chosen flowers. A topper such as this would be Jack's touch.

Holding carefully to the decoration, Aster moved past his lover and then set it on top. He placed a candle inside and then lit it, stepping back and looking at the finished tree with a light smile.

"This tree's for both of us, frostbite," he said, nodding to Jack. "It's in our home so don't let me be the only one callin' the shots. Besides, the thing looks too nice to go to waste. There won't be snow in the Warren so this'll have to do."

The words seemed to put Jack at ease and he moved to stand beside the Pooka. For once, he didn't have his staff in one hand. It was hung on a special mount that Bunny had installed only last year to hold it. It had only seemed right that the love of his life had something inside of their home.

One arm was wrapped around Bunny's shoulders and Jack pulled himself up to put his nose into the soft fur of the Pooka's cheek. "Thanks, Cottontail." He drew back a little with a chuckle. "We're not done yet. I've still got eleven days left."

"Ten, you've got ten days."

"Hey! You said that I had twelve days, like the song!"

Bunny turned his head, his nose twitching. "You had twelve days startin' yesterday. Today's the eleventh day and we just spent most of it doin' up this pretty little tree. You've got ten days startin' tomorrow."

Groaning in irritation, Jack put both arms around his lover's neck and hung limply from him. It was something he did when things clearly weren't going his way but Bunny wasn't about to budge on this. "Hey, there's eleven days until Christmas. I might not celebrate it but I know when it happens," Bunny said, lowering his nose to the top of Jack's head.

"Fine," the winter spirit muttered. He turned his head, pulling himself closer and almost sinking into Aster's fur. "This tree really looks nice, you know. I think I might spend the night here just to make sure you don't take it down while I'm not looking."

"Don't think you have to worry about that but I'd gladly have ya." Picking Jack up and walking toward the pile of cushions that Aster used as a bed, he put the young Guardian down then lay beside him. "So what's next on your Christmas list?"

Jack grinned and put a finger on Bunny's nose. "You'll just have to wait and see."

Though he usually didn't like surprises, this was one that Bunny didn't mind since the tree decorating had gone so well. He cast one last glance at their combined efforts before pressing his lips to Jack's forehead. "Then I guess I'll be surprised."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This particular fic has some headcanon in it. Granted, a lot of my fics tend to have Pooka headcanon in it but this one I've held onto for a while. I was intending to write a fic using this particular headcanon but it never came to be. There is a JackRabbit Week on Tumblr popping up in January...

It was Aster's turn to choose something to do. Jack had said it was to prove that the Pooka wasn't just playing at being cooperative. If he were to be honest, Bunny felt that it was just to test his knowledge of Christmas in general.

Once again he was using one of the many evergreens in the Warren for decoration, this time stripping a tree of all its boughs. These he gathered up when he felt that he had enough of them, pausing to look at the stripped tree. Reaching out with one hand, he felt that pulse of life and focused on it. The tree wouldn't be bare for very long, at least.

Jack had been with him up until after breakfast when he announced that he would be leaving to do his job. It was then that he informed Bunny of his task to find something involving Christmas and set it up while he was gone. Bunny hadn't bothered to argue, his realisation from their tree decorating still sticking with him.

Now he made his way back to the burrow, knowing he still had a little work to do before his lover returned home. Just having boughs wasn't enough as that was more than a little bland. While he had beautiful Easter alternatives to decorating a wreath, he was sure that wasn't going to cut it here.

Fortunately, he'd already ducked out to the workshop and managed to find two different types of Christmas ribbons, smaller Christmas balls and decorations as well as fresh holly boughs. Surprisingly, he'd also found two wire frames though he didn't take the wire, much preferring the tough twine he had handy. North had been absent which wasn't shocking in the least and it allowed Bunny the chance to get what he needed and then to leave in a timely manner without incident.

There was also the little issue of where to hang their finished ornament. Putting it on the door like tradition called for was impossible considering the door to his home slid out of the way rather than opened like a normal door. After some thought, he put up two sturdy hooks, one inside to the right and the other outside and to the left. Not being familiar with how heavy some wreaths could be, he wasn't sure if one would be enough but he'd deal with that when the time came.

Going back inside, he started carefully laying out the materials. The boughs wouldn't deteriorate and the holly would never wither so at least it would all last without looking artificial.

Aster picked up one of the ribbons, a narrow one that had golden trim along the edges. Upon closer inspection, it was velvet and the gold thread looked almost like real gold even though that wasn't possible. The second one he'd nabbed was of silk, hand-dyed a deep green. Regardless of how much he sniped at North and his pride, there were obvious reasons why that pride was warranted.

Just as he set the two rolls of ribbon down, the door slid open and Jack walked in. He still had a grin on his face as he hung his staff up then practically leapt at the Pooka, forcing Bunny to catch him in his arms. That the winter spirit was in a good mood was undeniable as both met in an affectionate kiss before Jack pulled away and buried his face in Aster's neck.

"Takin' a shot in the dark by sayin' you had a good day," Bunny murmured, tilting his head down just a little to nuzzle his mate. All he got in response was a small noise of assent and fingers pulling at his fur in just the right way.

Both of them were content to stay like that for a moment or two before Jack slipped out of Bunny's arms and stood up. His smile was still there, the kind of smile he gave to one being alone. He looked over his shoulder to the table that was filled with wreath-making materials then turned back to look at his lover.

"I thought you'd put something together while I was gone," he said, raising his brows.

Aster shook his head and pressed his nose to Jack's forehead briefly then moved toward the table. "That's no fun. If we're gonna spend Christmas together, we need to do these kinda things together."

Curiosity gleamed in the young Guardian's eyes as he went to one of the wire frames and held it up. He seemed to weigh it in his hands, flipping it over a couple of times with some difficulty. It was rather large and it took both hands to hold it up but Jack seemed to determine that it made a better necklace as he put it over his head. "Wreaths, huh? I didn't think you'd know how to make them."

"Wreaths aren't _just_ for Christmas, mate," Bunny said with a light laugh. He pulled his own frame toward him then moved to the kitchen to get the twine he had, setting one of the two rolls he had with him down. Taking one of the evergreen boughs, he held it up then put it against part of the wire frame and tied it with a length of twine.

Taking his cue, Jack removed the frame from his neck and laid it down, following the same motions Bunny did. It wasn't often that the winter spirit would settle down but Aster had long since decided that he loved that look of concentration his lover could get when he focused.

Silence fell over them until Jack looked over at the Pooka, tying off another bough. "I know I've seen wreaths put up that don't look like Christmas decorations but..." He trailed off, picking up one of the boughs and running his hands over the needles gently. "I don't see any in here," he said finally, gesturing with the object he held.

It was inevitable that such a thing would come up, he supposed. Aster had always tried to mix his heritage with how a human acted which resulted in him being a hybrid of both. Not too many understood that some things Bunnymund did were because of _what_ he was rather than _who_ he was. He couldn't exactly blame them, all things considered. It was difficult to learn about a species that was reduced to only one.

To his credit, Jack said nothing and just waited for Bunny to speak. "Pooka would make wreaths to tell another they were interested in 'em as a mate," he finally said, casting a furtive glance to his lover. His eyes returned to his wreath as he twisted it around then started tying more evergreen boughs on it. "Young does and bucks would learn years before any kind of matin' season started up so we could start the courtin' process."

Once more the young Guardian sat in silence, simply finishing a tie before he looked over at Aster with a grin. "I don't remember getting a wreath, Cottontail," he said. His voice was playful, indicating that he was largely joking. Jack turned back to his work with a soft laugh, saying nothing more.

Bunny shifted on his feet, feeling somewhat awkward now. It was true, he didn't even try to court Jack like he would one of his own kind. Why would he? Jack Frost was a human, even if he was actually an immortal winter spirit. He wasn't a Pooka and he would more than likely have laughed in Aster's face if he'd been presented with a wreath of flowers. Courting him like a human was the more logical choice rather than trying to explain a Pooka's method.

"I know we're different."

Jack's voice cut through the silence though it was almost a whisper. Blue eyes darted toward Bunny, an anxious look on his face. "I-I mean, it's obvious we are," he said, clearly trying to keep his voice steady. "You don't have to hide who you are from me, Aster."

"I'm not hidin'," Bunny replied, shaking his head. "Just isn't easy with you." He gave his lover a look, silencing any kind of protest at that. "Not that I'm sayin' I'd want it to be, frostbite. Pretty sure you wouldn't want a flower wreath or a long walk in a field of flowers. You're no Pooka and I'd never want ya to pretend to be just for me. I love ya for who ya are."

A breathy laugh came from Jack's throat and he stopped what he was doing. "Come on, Bunny. It's not fair if you're saying that I don't have to learn your ways when you're here making a Christmas wreath." He pointed to the tree which was still glowing with the candles that Bunny had lit that morning. "You pretend for me, you know. That's not fair to you," he said, frowning lightly.

Without any warning, Aster moved close to Jack and took the winter spirit's hands in his own. "Look, mate. I know it doesn't look like it's bein' fair to me but I'm willin' to do it. Maybe I'll show ya some of a Pooka's ways one day but I'm happy celebratin' somethin' important to you right now."

The hands he held curled to grip them gently before slipping out of their grasp. Arms curled tightly around Bunny and he looked down just as Jack buried his face into the Pooka's fur.

"I'll hold you to that. Showing me your ways, I mean," Jack said, his voice muffled as he spoke against Aster's chest.

Glad to have that sorted out for the time being, Aster gripped his lover's shoulders and then pulled him away enough to look at him. "I promise. All this wreath makin' stuff is about us now." He nodded to the unfinished wreaths and smiled lightly. "Let's finish what we started, mate."

The basic outline for the wreath was easily finished and Jack picked his up carefully, almost as if he expected it would fall apart in his hands. In the end, both of them used the red ribbon though Aster combined his with the green, right down to the bow he tied. While Jack used Christmas balls and holly, Bunny simply used holly tied tightly to the evergreen boughs near the bow. A few spare candle holders were added between the two as a means to light them up before Aster helped to create the loop of twine that would hold them up on their respective hooks.

"Yours should be outside," Jack said, getting the jump on his lover.

Motioning for the winter spirit to follow him, Bunny brought his wreath while Jack grabbed some small candles. There was a small sigh of relief from the Pooka as he saw that the hook was holding the wreath just fine. Once the candles were lit, Aster stood back and admired his handiwork.

"I've never made a courtin' wreath before, not for anyone. Always been ones that look good for Easter or spring." He noted that Jack only made a noise of assent but it was clear he was still a bit put out by this admission. Slightly amused, Bunny turned to look at his lover. "I could make ya one if you're really wantin' it."

Finally, a small smile appeared on Jack's face. He turned to look at the Pooka and nodded. "In the new year, Bunny. I know it's a little late for it, all things considered," he said, a sly grin tugging at his lips. "I'll try not to laugh."

Bunny only hoped that he wouldn't regret offering.


	4. Chapter 4

Wreaths and a tree. That was all that Jack had currently talked his lover into putting up. The rest of the burrow was rather devoid of any other holiday decorations so it still largely looked like it always had.

Not that Bunny was complaining, mind you. While he definitely was being rather cordial about the decorating and how it was invading his home, what he really wanted was for it to be that "big day" already. He wisely kept his mouth shut, not wanting to make the winter spirit think that his desire for a true Christmas was foolish.

There had been no demands made when Jack had left to see how much more snow he could dump on everyone before Christmas rolled around. Aster supposed it'd merely slept his mind and had accidentally left the Pooka to his own devices. Or he'd wanted to see what Bunny could come up with on his own, something which was much more likely.

Whether it was meant as a challenge or not, Aster was about to take it as one. He knew that his home was sparsely decorated for the kind of Christmas that some families had. Though he liked the idea of muted decorations, Aster felt that he owed it to Jack not to half-ass this.

Going to his kitchen, he grabbed a pail that he kept to one side then filled it with water. It was certainly handy when one knew how to divert water properly and without piping. Bunny smiled lightly at that thought, remembering the shock that Jack had expressed when he found out that a hole dug in a wall could have running water. Drainage was a pain in the tail but he wasn't about to complain about it.

Several more things were grabbed from the kitchen including a set of small bowls, spare paint pigments and a towel. To anyone who watched him, they may have thought that Bunny was simply going to start painting a fleet of egglets by hand. Granted, he did that on his own plenty and it was a good assumption but definitely not what he was aiming for today. Nevertheless, a few of the eggs followed behind him as he made his way back into the living space.

Placing the pail and the rest of his supplies down in front of him, Aster tilted his head slightly. It was really a question of where to begin rather than what he was going to be doing.

"Not gonna get anythin' done by just standin' here," he muttered to himself.

Mixing paints was second nature to Bunny. He wasted no time, setting out all of the little bowls he'd grabbed earlier. He filled them with an equal amount of white paint and then started adding the pigments in the right measurements until he got the colours he wanted. It was going to be a monumental task - and, perhaps, a permanent one.

The thought made him pause before he grabbed his brush. Aster's ears twitched a moment before he grabbed one of the bowls and moved to one of the walls. Certainly, this would be easier if he just decided to have canvases but he doubted that would have the impact he desired.

With his mind made up, the first brush stroke touched the unadorned wall.

\------

Unlike the days prior, Aster had left his home once he was finished to wait for his lover's arrival. Honestly, he expected Jack to forget at least one of these days while he was out having fun. Not that he could really blame the young Guardian but this was one time when he truly wanted to feel that winter breeze blow through the Warren.

Regardless of how excited he was, he did his best to hide it as he calmly painted an egg while sitting near the tunnels. Usually he would take his painting to the river of dye but he couldn't risk the surprise being spoiled. Jack would check their home first, he knew that.

It felt like an eternity before the winter spirit blew past Bunny before stopping in mid-air. There was clear confusion on his face as he landed close to the Pooka, leaning on his staff. "Really? It's Christmas and you're here painting _eggs_?" he asked, an incredulous tone in his voice. Eventually he scowled and picked up his staff, starting to walk toward the burrow. "You could try to pretend for more than two days," he muttered.

Putting down the egg he was painting and trying desperately to keep the grin off of his face, Aster turned to follow the disgruntled Guardian. "I've gotta do somethin' to keep myself busy," he said, falling into step beside Jack. The fact that he was being ignored wasn't lost on him and it took every fibre of his being not to just tell Jack that he wasn't pretending.

Fortunately it was a quick walk to the burrow and the winter spirit was the one who reached the door first. He slammed his palm on the door which activated it, the stone sliding to the left as it always had. Jack looked over his shoulder, a mutinous look on his face. "We're going to the Pole later," he said.

Then he stopped in his tracks as he turned around.

Aster finally let the smile touch his lips as he walked inside. Gentle candlelight illuminated the space enough to see what he'd done.

To say that he loved Jack completely was undeniable. Never before had he taken inspiration from a season that was in direct contrast to his own. Yet now his - no, _their_ \- home had the lightest touch of winter. It was fortunate that the walls were smooth and solid, not to mention made of rock. Perhaps the pattern wouldn't last forever but it wasn't the future they were concerned with at the moment.

"Frost?" Jack whispered, going up to one of the walls and putting his fingers on top of the delicate patterns.

"I was just going to start paintin' something on a canvas but I think the tree looks good on a winter background, yeah?" Bunny came up behind his lover, watching every movement eagerly. He eventually coughed a little and sat back on his haunches. "You like it? I know snow doesn't always mean Christmas but I've heard it makes it better."

Jack turned around, a soft smile on his face. "I've heard that, too." Once again he relaxed, leaning on his staff and looking around the room. Curling tendrils of frost, the kind that the young Guardian left behind on window panes were everywhere that Aster could reach. "Speaking as the king of frost, you did pretty good for someone who usually only comes around in spring."

Making a small noise, Bunny moved closer and pulled Jack into an embrace. "I'll take that as a compliment, mate."

"Good, because that's what it is."

Bunny already knew that his lover wasn't always in the habit of saying "thanks" or even apologising. Everything was done with actions but that kind of went for both of them. Right now, Aster was more than content for Jack to express his pleasure with the kiss that he gave.


	5. Chapter 5

It was late. _He_ was late. Jack Frost was many things but he usually didn't stay out late like this without warning.

Bunny frowned as he finished tacking the silver garland that now surrounded their doorway. He'd been quite proud of this impromptu decorating and, after his previous surprise, he was sure this one would be met with happiness as well. Straightening himself, he set aside the hammer and then headed outside.

With a free spirit like Jack, sometimes it was hard to locate him. He could be anywhere in the northern hemisphere, making it snow or throwing snowballs. Of course, that was only if you didn't know him.

There was no hesitation as Bunny bounded toward the tunnels, knowing exactly where he was going to go. Jack wasn't above favouritism and his one favourite place to be was usually in the town that had been built around his own birthplace. Not to mention his first believer and one of his best friends was there. While Jamie was old enough now not to believe in the Guardians, it seemed he'd never truly stopped. He had fun with Jack every winter along with his own children - two sons, if Aster remembered right.

As he expected, Aster saw the freshly fallen snow all around him as he hopped from his hole. Burgess probably dealt with more snow than most other cities and towns in the state. The adults certainly weren't amused but the kids had always enjoyed that they could build a new snowman long before their first had melted.

Darkness had already fallen over the quiet town but it didn't stop everyone from going about their business. It was mostly adults walking around, the children that followed beside them looking forlornly at the snow they wanted to play in. Since it was getting closer to Christmas, it was obvious that many were doing shopping for the season.

No, Jack wouldn't be in the middle of the actual hustle and bustle - not now, at least. When he couldn't be seen, Aster knew that his lover would throw snowballs at unsuspecting victims without care. It wasn't like the winter spirit had changed drastically since his Guardianship but he didn't always cause havoc like he did before. Jamie was the last one to get a wild ride through a busy town road courtesy of the "forgotten" Jack Frost.

Bunny took to the rooftops, hopping across them as he made his way to the pond that Jack had once called his home. He still hated having to run through the cold snow but he did it now, kicking up the fresh snow as he took long leaps. It seemed like it was good packing snow, some of it sticking to his fur no matter how much he tried to avoid it.

The sound of children's laughter stopped him short and he moved to leap up to a treetop. It was hard to miss the children and the winter spirit playing near the pond. Yet, there were no snowballs flying or even ones being rolled in the snow. Judging by the kicked up snow, it seemed like that fun had already passed. Now they were flopping in the snow and doing...something.

He watched them carefully, his confusion mounting by the minute. As a spirit of spring, he wasn't always up on the current trends with winter fun. To him, it looked like they were flailing around, acting as if they were drowning in the snow. Naturally, that couldn't be right because he highly doubted that was what someone usually did when playing in the snow. Or maybe they did, he didn't know.

Jack was the first to get up, his laugh carrying on the wind which curled around Bunny where he sat. It was an almost playful touch, no doubt the wind was amused that the Pooka was spying on the young Guardian.

Pushing such thoughts aside, Bunny tilted his head to look at the pattern left in the snow. He straightened in realisation then mentally chastised himself for not understanding sooner.

There it was, a beautiful and, if he could dare say it, perfect snow angel. Jack had a pleased grin on his face and he dropped his staff diagonally across the print he'd left, making Aster think he was just trying to mar it on purpose. The winter spirit took his staff again then took to the air, a very satisfied look on his face. It now looked like the angel was hanging onto a staff itself, which Aster had to admit was fairly clever.

By now, the kids were up as well and now the larger angel of Jack's appeared to be shepherding two smaller angels. The kids seemed rather pleased by this outcome as well, laughing and pointing at their work.

Suddenly the kids turned their heads to look at a man who was calling to them, motioning his children to come to him. They very reluctantly began moving to the man who was obviously their father, looking back once to say a quiet farewell to Jack. It wasn't until they were all out of sight that Bunny decided to leap down from his perch to greet the winter spirit.

"Bunny, what are you doing here?" Jack asked, turning in surprise. He looked behind him for a moment then chuckled gently. "Snow angels. The kids were tired after we had a huge snowball fight so I thought they'd have a little fun with them."

Jack didn't have to explain himself but it seemed like he was almost embarrassed to be caught like this. Perhaps he was, considering he'd just been caught making angels rather than a snowman. It was a surprise but who was Aster to judge? The Pooka loved flowers and nature to the point of even making flowers when he walked at times.

"Looks like it worked," Bunny said, his nose twitching along with his whiskers. He moved a little closer to the snow angels but didn't dare try to step on them and ruin them. Standing what he felt a safe distance away, he sat back on his haunches and looked at them with a soft smile. "Didn't think you'd want to do somethin' like this."

There was a pause long enough to make Aster glance over to Jack. The young Guardian appeared lost in thought until the tiniest of smiles tugged at his lips.

Before he spoke, Jack shifted his staff in his hands and held it close against him. "My sister liked making patterns in the snow. She was really good at it, better than me." He paused then looked over at Bunny, smirking. "Don't you dare laugh. She really was good and I could never top her." Frowning deeply, he looked away. "Not in her lifetime, anyway."

Without prompting, Bunny reached over and put a reassuring hand on his lover's back. It had taken a lot of time before Jack had been comfortable sharing the circumstances surrounding how he became a spirit of winter and even longer before he shared his memories. Things were still painful for him and Aster understood that it was because he was still young. Whether he was eighteen or three-hundred-fifty-years-old, it took a long time before one got over survivor's guilt - if one ever truly did.

"I didn't think I'd be out this late." Grinning a little, Jack glanced over at the Pooka. "Or that you'd come looking for me."

Aster shrugged gently, patting the young Guardian's back. "I was just sprucin' up our place and was lookin' forward to ya seein' it."

They sat together for a moment before Jack took to the air, hovering just in front of Bunny. He had a grin on his lips, one that usually made the Pooka wary because it suggested he was up to something. Fortunately, he didn't have to wait very long to find out exactly what that "something" was.

"You should make a snow angel for me," Jack said, his grin widening. Bunny knew that the winter spirit loved throwing these challenges at him, especially if they involved snow. He knew how much the Pooka hated the cold.

Bunny sat there for a moment, knowing that there'd be no convincing Jack that it couldn't be done. Throwing up his arms with a heavy sigh, Aster bounded off to one side before he was halted by Jack who landed right in front of him.

The winter spirit shook his head then pointed over to where the other angels were. "No hiding. Come on, it's supposed to be fun. I'll bet you've never made a snow angel before."

"Why would I ever make one, mate? Before I met you, I avoided goin' in the snow as much as I could." There was no missing the self-satisfied smirk on Jack's lips. He was clearly taking the fact that he pulled the grumpy Easter Bunny out of his hole as a compliment. "Besides," Aster continued, trying to ignore the smirk, "it won't look right." Lifting a foot to make his point, he put it back down and shrugged. "Can't be done."

Jack obviously hadn't taken the different anatomy into account and he looked Bunny up and down. Aster wondered if he was just now realising that a Pooka wasn't even close to human or perhaps he'd just forgotten. Suddenly his eyes lit up and he motioned for Aster to follow him back to where they had been sitting earlier.

Almost as soon as they got there, a powerful gust of wind hit and Jack flew forward, effectively knocking Aster backwards into the snow. Before he could struggle to his feet, the young Guardian hovered over top of the disgruntled Pooka. "It _can_ be done. We just have to think different. Here."

Bunny watched with curiosity as his legs were positioned so that the bottoms of his feet touched one another, his knees angling out at either side. He didn't get the chance to ask what he needed to do before Jack moved the furred feet a little to either side. It wasn't a painful motion but it was an odd one.

"Wait, frostbite," Aster said, looking down for a moment. He lay back down and bent his legs, putting his feet down flat in the snow. With his arms outstretched, he did exactly what Jack and the children had done earlier until he was satisfied that he'd made a good print. He hopped up and away from his work then sat up to look at it.

Laughter rang out before Aster could even take it all in. Jack was clearly amused by how it had turned out and there was no secret as to why. Instead of the clear print left by the trio, there was a somewhat clear angel that had an obvious set of rabbit's ears.

Eventually the laughter tapered off and Jack was left beaming happily at his lover. "It looks good. I know you probably don't agree but maybe there are rabbit angels somewhere out there."

Waving a hand dismissively, Bunny sighed softly then tapped his foot on the ground, opening a hole to the tunnels. "Let's go warm up, mate. I've done a bit more decoratin' and I think it looks a bit better than a rabbit angel," he said, grinning just a little.

Chuckling lightly, Jack did a loop in the air before pausing and kissing Aster's nose then quickly disappearing down into the tunnels. Sometimes Bunny wondered why he'd fallen in love with Jack Frost but then there were moments like these. They may still have differences but, as far as Aster was concerned, they had more good times than bad times.

Taking one more look at the group of angels, Aster smiled lightly then followed the winter spirit to the Warren. Yes, maybe there were rabbit angels out there somewhere.


	6. Chapter 6

It wasn't very often that Bunnymund thought of gifting anyone anything. After a dozen or so years, it became impossible to get any of his fellow Guardians a meaningful gift that hadn't already been given. In the end, they'd all settled for simply getting together to wish each other well in the coming year.

When Jack had joined them, it'd changed to gift giving again only now it was directed at only one of them. North, Tooth and Sandy would always find something to give to him but it fell to Aster to give him something meaningful.

While he'd been busy thinking of gifts, there was always the thought of how to present it as well. Just putting it in a bag or even in an Easter basket done up in a Christmas motif wasn't enough. This year, they would have wrapped gifts under the tree to open on Christmas morning together.

Aster had become much more enthusiastic about the idea since it'd first been proposed. Truthfully, he'd never much believed in the "feeling" of Christmas. He'd thought that a holiday could never have a physical feeling behind it regardless of how it was celebrated. Now he knew that he was wrong and there truly was something that felt different about it this time.

It wasn't just the tree or the other decorations that now adorned the usually simplistic burrow, though they were a part of it. He was sure that it had something to do with how they were celebrating this year. At the least, he was glad that it wasn't the Christmas hysteria that sometimes happened, it was both of them looking for a traditional Christmas.

Gifts really weren't the issue for Bunny right now, not the getting anyway. He'd already lined up Jack's gifts at the beginning of December, one of them having been completed long before then. During the summer months it became difficult to hide them since the winter spirit had nothing to do during that time of the year. Aster had learned to not work at Christmas gifts until around mid-October when Jack would find places that were cool enough for him to play around in.

Today, his trouble was actually the wrapping of the gifts. He'd usually contented himself with a nice fabric bag or, as mentioned before, a basket wrapped up in Christmas decor. He couldn't remember the last time he'd actually used boxes and wrapping paper but, here he was, trying to figure out how to do just that.

Boxes weren't an issue. One of the gifts was already in a box that he'd carved himself. The second gift he'd had to go to the workshop to find one which fit perfectly. It was the wrapping paper, the one thing he couldn't find at North's which was grinding his gears at the moment.

It wasn't like there was some magical shortage of beautiful wrapping paper. It was just... None of them seemed to suit what he was giving. Stylized holly leaves and berries, candy canes and even a snow-covered paper didn't seem quite right. He wanted it to be special like everything else had been to this point.

In the end, he decided to do the one thing that he was good at: painting. He'd found good sized squares of paper and had begun mixing paints to get the colours he wanted. Jack could do what he pleased when he wrapped gifts but Bunny liked creating things with his own two hands. He knew that it would be torn when the time came but he'd never really cared if something was permanent or not. It would be admired either way for the time it was there.

For one who really only celebrated Easter and knew every last motif he could use, Bunny knew of a wide variety of patterns associated with Christmas. It wasn't always a toss-up between Santa Claus, candy canes or holly for him. There was snow, sleighs, trees and many other things that came to mind when he thought of the holidays.

The box he'd gotten from the workshop was an easy thing to decorate. He didn't bother with paper and would simply use a ribbon to tie it together. Once a plain white box it soon had a variety of snowy scenes on every side. The top had delicately painted snowflakes and each side had something different going on. Snowdrop flowers blooming in the snow, children throwing snowballs at one another with more building a snowman wearing a Santa hat. A traditional looking sleigh being drawn by reindeer was on another side and then decorated trees completed the box.

Using a few lengths of ribbon once he'd made sure that his gift was placed inside and the paint was dry, Bunny tied it off into a large ribbon. Jack may balk at the lack of paper to tear open but at least one of the personal touches would survive. It was the first gift to be placed under the tree which gave Aster a bit of pride.

Painting on paper wasn't anything new to him. He sometimes would sketch in a book or even paint on small canvases then set the finished product aside to work on another. It would be the first time he'd ever made wrapping paper, however.

He'd done his fair share of testing beforehand, not wanting to leave anything to chance. Different mediums were tested to find out which ones would survive being folded and wouldn't crack. Some paints wouldn't absorb properly into the paper while others absorbed too well, causing them to spread out and make the work look fuzzy. None of those would ever do, not for Aster who was looking for something nearing perfection. After much heartache, he'd finally found the proper paper and paint he would use.

Losing himself to his work, Bunny didn't even notice the passage of time. He simply continued to paint until his work was done and he was sure that he was content with the pattern.

It was a mixture of Easter and Christmas this time. Curvy lines like one would see on an Easter egg painted in reds and greens adorned the top and bottom. The background was a rich blue and little patterns were lined up in the middle of the paper. A tiny nutcracker, a candy cane, a simple modern Santa Claus along with little toys and other things one associated with Christmas. However, he knew that the absolute centre which would be seen on top of everything had to be special. A snowflake and an Easter egg were painted there and this he had marked on the unpainted backing of the paper as well.

Satisfied with the painting, he set it aside to dry while he cleaned up all of the remaining paints and washed the brushes he used. He knew he didn't have much time left to wrap the gift before Jack would return and be in danger of spoiling the surprise.

Once the cleaning was done, he carefully wrapped the wooden box he'd made and put a small bow in one corner with a tag that he'd made earlier. He placed the finished present under the tree and tied another tag on the other gift there before standing up and looking at the boxes that were now there.

He felt that sensation in his chest again, something he was starting to associate with Christmas. That feeling of knowing he would make the one he loved happy with not only his gifts but the effort he was putting forward made him feel good. Perhaps Jack was right in making him join in on Christmas this year.

"Hey, Cottontail, I'm home!" Jack called as he entered, stopping short when he saw the Pooka standing near the tree. His gaze went down and those brilliantly blue eyes went wide before he stepped forward once. "Someone's been busy."

With a light laugh, Bunny leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to Jack's cheek. "No shakin' the presents, mate. I'll be watchin'."

Jack shot Aster a look of irritation. "You really know how to pull the fun out of things."

"Just sit back and look at the pretty paper, frostbite. Only six more days before ya get to tear into 'em. I think you can wait until then."

Trusting that his wishes would be respected, Bunny smiled in satisfaction and went to prepare dinner. Only six more days of this? He had to admit that he might actually be sad when it was over for the first time in many years.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Over half-way now. A bit of a short and silly one today. I promise I'm not going off my rocker writing so much. XD
> 
> Here's hoping that I can finish the last two on time. Colds suck. :/

"No way, frostbite."

"You're really no fun, Cottontail."

Contrary to his previous thoughts, Aster now thought that Christmas couldn't be over fast enough. He wrinkled his nose as he looked down at the papers that were spread out over the table. They all had lyrics for different traditional Christmas songs, some of which he was familiar with but others he wasn't.

Jack had sprung it on him as soon as he'd returned home from a rousing time he'd apparently had singing with some children in a park. Now he wanted to continue it with Bunny who was really having nothing of it.

Folding his arms, Bunny snorted lightly. "Fun's got nothin' to do with it. I can't sing, mate."

"I'll bet you can but you're holding out on me." Jack gathered the papers up then rifled through them, pulling one out and pushing it under the Pooka's nose. "Just a few bars. I promise not to laugh," he said, pausing a moment before adding, "too much."

With a roll of his eyes, Aster looked down only to scowl lightly. " _The Twelve Days of Christmas_?" he said, arching a brow. "Did ya have to choose the most obnoxious song of all the songs you've got? Pick somethin' else to laugh at me with."

The winter spirit took the lyric sheet back with a light smirk, not put out in the least. "It could have been worse. I could have given you _The Christmas Song_ since that's my one real claim to fame."

It was Bunny's turn to smirk, angling his ears toward his lover. "I dunno about that, frostbite. I think I remember hearin' about some real flatterin' television specials they've made starrin' you over the years." He chuckled a little, remembering at least one of those being shown to him courtesy of the kids in Burgess.

A crackling noise filled the air and Aster looked over, seeing the light blue glow on Jack's staff. "Bring those up again and I'll freeze more than your tail," the winter spirit growled.

Eventually the stack of papers were held out for Aster to take, an irritated scowl on the younger Guardian's face. "Just choose one, Cottontail. I'm not even asking you to sing in front of North like I was going to." That made him laugh gently, making the Pooka relax just a little. "It would have been funny, though."

"Only for you," Bunny muttered. He shuffled through the papers until he came across a song that he knew and actually didn't hate completely. Still, he held it out and stared at it, doing anything he could to draw this out.

He didn't need to look over at Jack to know he was being watched. There would probably be encouragement to get started if he lingered too long but Aster set down the remaining stack of pages then cleared his throat. He truly wished he could just play an instrument and be done with it but Jack was set on getting some vocals from the Pooka.

Finally Aster gave in and began singing his chosen song: Silent Night. It was a slower song but one he'd actually rather enjoyed when he got to hear Christmas carols. He also felt it was better suited to his voice - if he could actually claim anything suited him. He'd never really sang for anyone and only hummed once in a while.

To his credit, Jack did nothing. There was no laughter or even the smallest of chuckles throughout the whole song. Bunny kept his eyes closed, not wanting to see anything resembling a grin on the winter spirit's face. He couldn't be this silent without gathering things to laugh about later.

Bunny only opened his eyes once the song came to a close then took the risk of looking over at his lover. To his surprise, Jack had no smirk on his face, only the softest of smiles.

"What? Not gonna start laughin' at me or sayin' how bad I was?" Bunny said, setting down the sheet he'd held.

Jack shook his head slowly then moved closer. "I could but then I'd feel bad. You're actually not bad at singing, Cottontail. You should do it more often."

A small shudder went through the Pooka and he quickly shook his head. "Think I'll pass, mate. Singin' isn't my thing." He held up a hand as he watched Jack's mouth open in obvious protest. "Don't go complainin' about it or I'll make you start singin' for me," he said, pausing a moment. "I mean the serious kinda singin', not you bein' a show pony about it."

Chuckling softly, Jack shook his head and shrugged, looking oddly sheepish about something. "Maybe I'll sing for you sometime. I'm used to singing on my own but I haven't done it in years," he admitted, sliding down to his knees and leaning on the low table that the lyric sheets were on. Both of his hands were free, his staff set aside this time. "Just as long as you promise me you won't laugh."

"Ya didn't laugh at me, frostbite," Aster said, shifting to sit beside his lover. "I thought you would but ya didn't so I won't do it to you." There was a small pause before his whiskers twitched and a smirk tugged at his lips. "Unless ya sing like a wailin' dingo then I might just have to stop ya myself," he added.

Hands took hold then began moving through Bunny's fur, starting at his haunches then working their way up until Jack was in his lap. The young Guardian looked terribly amused as he leaned in for a gentle kiss. Those skilled fingers lightly tugged at the fur on his chest, Jack moving to press up against Aster's body.

"Just for that, you're not going to hear me sing until next year," he said, sticking out the tip of his tongue.

Grinning, Aster tilted his head and put his nose against his lover's cheek. "I can wait. It's only just around the corner, yeah?"

Instead of getting a vocal response, Bunny was silenced by another kiss. Maybe he _would_ have to sing for Jack more often.


	8. Chapter 8

How Aster could forget the tradition that was holiday baking, he didn't know. He supposed that he'd forgotten how the cookies were made at the workshop and were always available year 'round. It was much harder to keep track of these things when you knew Santa Claus himself and how he always surrounded himself with Christmas.

It had been Jack who reminded him just by the simple comment during their breakfast that he would have loved to have some gingerbread. Granted, Bunny would sometimes make gingerbread because he had some ginger lying around and it tasted wonderful with tea. However, he knew that the winter spirit was thinking more of the gingerbread men and houses that one would make around this time of year.

While he wasn't going to make a gingerbread house, the traditional cookie would definitely not go to waste between them. He was also hardly the one to limit the amount of sugary treats that were around during the holidays. Chocolate eggs were one of his favourite things to make even if he couldn't exactly eat them himself.

Bent over and rummaging in a cupboard, he heard the door to the burrow slide open and the slightest breeze blew in. How many times he'd felt almost an arctic blast before telling Jack that wasn't exactly acceptable, he didn't know. Thankfully he now only usually felt a breeze, something which the winter spirit assured him he couldn't help. The wind followed him wherever he went and it was just one of many other hurdles they'd both had to overcome in their relationship.

Just as Jack arrived in the kitchen, Bunny straightened himself and put a clay jar on the counter. "Hope you weren't expectin' to do anythin' tonight," Bunny said, a proud smile on his face. "Thought we'd make up some cookies."

Fortunately, Jack had already set his staff aside before entering and now he stood there with eager eyes, looking at all the baking utensils all laid out. He slowly approached the cookie cutters, picking them up to look at their shapes. "I don't see any Santa cookies being made," he said, arching a brow with a light smirk.

"Couldn't find it. Think the yetis were makin' a batch of 'em while I was there. I just took what I could get my paws on," Aster said with a shrug.

Jack continued to look at the cookie cutters critically, tapping each one. There was the traditional shape of the gingerbread man, a snowflake, a tree and even a house. "What about eggs?"

The question made Aster pause as he set down the measuring cups he'd just taken out of a cupboard. Eventually he shook his head, looking at Jack in confusion. "Eggs? Ya know I love 'em but don't think that they make good Christmas cookies."

As Bunny spoke, the winter spirit was already in action. He pulled open drawers, sifting around in them and generally making a mess as he did. Before the Pooka could ask what Jack was looking for, he held up his prize then put it beside the other cookie cutters.

"I think you know how to make an egg into something Christmas-themed," he said, simply grinning at his very bemused lover. Jack motioned to the living space, giving Bunny a knowing look. "That present you wrapped kind of proved that, Cottontail."

Oh, right. "If you're insistin' then I guess I'll do it. I'm not the only one doin' the decoratin' here." The last thing they needed was the recipe and this he set on a small stand used for cookbooks that was not far from the mixing bowl. "Pretty sure you've helped the yetis a couple of times in the kitchen."

Jack grimaced and set down the spice jar that he'd picked up. "If by 'help' you mean started a food fight then yeah, I've done that a few times."

That was the main reason why it'd been brought up. Aster had doubted that his lover could calm down enough to make even a simple batch of cookies. Now here he was, pretty much asking him to do the impossible by mixing up some gingerbread cookie dough. It was a little disheartening but he knew he shouldn't expect any different from the rambunctious winter spirit.

Shrugging a little and trying not to show how disappointed he was, Bunny opened the clay jar he'd taken out earlier. He grabbed his sifter and set it in the middle of a bowl, starting to measure out flour from the jar. "Then how about ya let me make up the dough then -"

"I can do something," Jack said quickly, cutting off the Pooka's words. He moved to look at the recipe book, reaching forward to put a finger on one of the steps. "You do the sifting while I mix all these other things together." He glanced anxiously over to Bunny, warily reaching for the brown sugar.

Aster nodded without hesitation, a slight grin tugging at his lips. "Guess startin' a food fight isn't so excitin' when you don't have a bunch of elves helping," he said, not missing the laugh that came from his lover.

Whether it was the lack of elves or just Jack trying to be on his best behaviour, their baking went off without a hitch. Normally Bunny would take his dough to the workshop and borrow some of their refrigerator space but having a winter spirit around negated that step. The wait for the dough to chill left them time to mix up some icing of various colours and consistencies, setting them aside when the time was up.

Finally the cookies were rolled out and baked, barely left to cool before Jack had grabbed one with the intention of decorating it. Aster didn't get the chance to tell the young Guardian to slow down, only hearing a small hiss and the sound of a cookie clattering to a cooling rack.

"I'm okay, don't worry so much, Cottontail," Jack muttered, shaking his right hand with a frown. He sucked on the tip of one finger then pulled it away enough to look at it, chuckling gently when he saw Bunny was right beside him. "It's nothing, really. You know it takes more than a hot cookie to hurt me for long."

Of course Bunny knew that but it was understandable that he'd be worried, right? "Just be careful, frostbite. They're not goin' anywhere."

As he spoke, Bunny picked one of the cooler cookies and handed it to Jack who looked up with a soft smile. He held it for a moment before he set it down on a cutting board that they'd already designated to use for decorating. "I used to watch kids bake with their parents a lot. Not just Christmas baking but all kinds of things over the winter. It looked like a lot of fun." One hand darted out to grab the bag of white icing that had been prepared earlier. "I was right."

Bunny hadn't noticed that he'd handed his lover a snowflake-shaped cookie that was now being decorated with white icing. While he knew that he should be doing this himself, the Pooka watched as Jack traced the outline of a delicate snowflake in a more ornate pattern than Bunny was used to putting on such cookies.

Eventually the two settled into decorating the cookies, the egg-shaped ones ending up in front of Bunny while the snowflakes always went to Jack. They shared the duty of the rest until the entire batch was decorated in Christmas colours.

"I have to hand it to ya for not startin' something," Aster said as he looked at their finished work. "You had me worried that I was going to have to mop up the whole kitchen."

Jack said nothing, simply smiling a bit as he took one cookie and bit into it. "Well," he said finally, looking to the jar of flour. "We're still here, Bunny. All I have to do is go over here," Jack said, a sly grin on his lips as he shuffled to the jar, "reach in and see what happens."

Laughing lightly, Aster hopped over to put a protective paw on the flour jar. "Fun's over, frostbite." He put it away in the cupboard then straightened himself -

Only to get a dusting of snow in his face.

The winter spirit had gotten much, much better at controlling his powers with or without his staff. Bunny had a tendency to forget that at times which only worked against him. North had taken it upon himself to help Jack with the control he had now, yet another thing that the Pooka just had to "thank" his old friend for.

"It's on now, mate," Aster said, stepping forward once.

Cookie held tightly between his teeth, Jack laughed a bit then sprinted into the living area to grab his staff. Bunny had no doubt that the Warren would have a covering of snow by the time they stopped playing around.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted late due to the ice storm that hit Ontario on December 21, 2013.

It was safe to say that, even being with a spirit of winter, Bunnymund hadn't exactly warmed to the idea of spending so much time in the snow. He still hated having to go to the workshop, running even the shortest distance through the bitter cold to get to the door. His spring-thin coat didn't do much to protect him, after all.

Still, it didn't deter him from making near-daily trips to the workshop these past few days to get things for Christmas. Whether it was cookie cutters or decorating materials, he braved the winter chill to get what was needed. It wasn't a total loss considering it'd worked out for them already so far.

Now he made his way back to the Warren with a bag in one hand and snow still clinging to his pelt. The snow had been loosely packed in one area and had slid out from under his feet as he ran. Fortunately, he hadn't been hurt but it felt like the cold had pierced right through him to his core.

Shivering, he entered the burrow and immediately started stoking the fire in the small fireplace he had. Normally he left it at a comfortable smolder but now he brought it to life, dropping the bag he carried to one side and putting another log on the fire.

"Whoa, watch it!"

The voice made Bunny jump slightly and he looked over his shoulder to see Jack sitting off to one side. He got to his feet and mock-wiped his forehead, letting out a soft breath. "You're trying to melt me, aren't you?"

"Sorry, mate. Didn't see ya there." Feeling a bit better now that he was closer to warmth, Aster went over to Jack and nuzzled him gently. "You're home early."

He turned to grab the bag he dropped then walked into the kitchen, Jack following closely behind him. There didn't seem to be any forthcoming explanation as to why the winter spirit was home before he normally was but that was all right. Bunny didn't need to know _everything_ that his lover did. Jack seemed more content to be closer to the Pooka, pushing up beside him and pressing a soft kiss to Bunny's cheek.

With a light noise of appreciation, Aster pulled two rather festive tins from the bag he'd brought in. "How about I make ya up some hot chocolate?" In reality, it was usually "luke warm" chocolate but he wasn't about to split hairs.

"Now you really are trying to melt me," Jack teased, nodding to the tins. "I'll get the milk."

It was up to Bunny to get out the pot he normally used, setting it on the stove just as Jack returned with a pitcher of milk. It didn't take long before the milk warmed and the hot chocolate mix was added. Bunny always tried to make it as rich as possible since hot chocolate was no good unless it actually tasted like chocolate.

Aster shooed his lover into the sitting area then moved to prepare tea for himself. It only took a few moments longer and he set a cookie they'd made the day before on the plate of each drink beside the filled cups. Carefully, he set the hot chocolate down in front of Jack then sat down close to his lover, taking a sip of his tea.

There was no disguising the delight that the winter spirit felt as he took the first sip of his own drink. It only took a moment before he decided that his cookie needed to be dipped inside of the hot chocolate, softening it up a little. After that first bite, he appeared to be thoughtful and he looked over at Bunny curiously.

"I've never asked but how come you never have hot chocolate with me?" he said.

It was a question that Bunny hated being asked, especially by Jack simply because he knew him. He knew that there would be calls for a demonstration that would only end in laughter - or, at worse, fright and disgust.

Setting his tea down, Aster pressed his lips together and didn't respond for a moment. "I can't eat chocolate." There, it was in the open. "I can make it but I can't eat it without consequences," he added, casting a furtive glance to his lover.

Jack laughed lightly, dipping his cookie into his drink again and taking another bite. "If you're allergic, just say so, Cottontail," he muttered around his mouthful of food.

"I'm not allergic," Aster said indignantly, folding his arms across his chest. "Pooka are different, mate. We can shapeshift and chocolate is a catalyst for it."

This caused the winter spirit to set down his food and drink, turning to look at Bunny with an unreadable expression. He seemed to settle on curiosity, the smallest hint of a smile appearing as he leaned in a bit closer. "You're a shapeshifter and you've never shown me? Now I'm really interested," he said. He paused again then shook his head slowly. "Why don't you do it any more?"

It wasn't surprising that Jack had connected the dots and understood that Bunny didn't eat chocolate any longer. The obvious suggestion was that it was something painful, which wasn't right or wrong.

Sighing softly, Bunny shrugged a little. "I've changed since I became a Guardian. North wasn't talkin' about me bein' a little rabbit when he said ya should've seen me."

He got up and Jack followed suit, walking to a wardrobe that stood off to one side. Aster was shocked that he'd never been asked about it before now. It was even more shocking that Jack had never peeked even once inside of this piece of furniture. Reaching up, he moved to open it until he saw the sceptical look on his lover's face.

"That green coat? I've seen that before," he said, arching a brow. Clearly, Aster didn't pay as much attention as he should have to how much Jack would get into when he wasn't looking.

With the surprise ruined, Bunny opened the wardrobe and stood back. It'd been a long time since he'd looked upon it, remembering how he wore it every single day without fail. Even recalling the early days of the Guardians and how much had changed in that time made him smile. Yet, he found that he was even happier now than he'd been in those days, much of that being attributed to the winter spirit standing beside him.

Jack had gone to get his hot chocolate and his cookie while Bunny was lost in his memories and he stood there now, tilting his head. His eyes darted over the coat then he shrugged. "I thought it was North's but the eggs everywhere kind of give away that it's yours." He laughed lightly, turning his head to look at Bunny with a grin. "You would wear this thing?"

"Sure did. I used to think of nothin' but eggs and chocolate, puttin' everything in terms of that," he admitted with a gentle chuckle. "Can't even remember when I gave that up along with usin' chocolate to win my battles. Sure helped fightin' against Pitch but the boomerang does the job, too."

Finishing off his cookie, the young Guardian sat down his drink again then returned to look at the coat. He reached out to touch the egg-shaped buttons and the fabric, a bemused expression on his face. "You should start wearing it again."

Bunny wrinkled his nose and gave Jack a good-natured shove, a light grin on his lips. "Yeah, right. Sure you'd probably think twice about sharin' a home with me if I put that thing back on. I'd love eggs and chocolate more than I'd love you, frostbite."

Jack hummed lightly, moving behind Bunny and putting his hands on the Pooka's shoulders then lifting himself up. He rested his head against Bunny's then grinned. "That's impossible but, what does this have to do with you and chocolate?"

"I told ya, I gave up shapeshiftin' using chocolate when I changed who I was. Not just thinkin' like the Easter Bunny," he replied, slowly sitting down so that Jack could have his feet on the ground. He looked over his shoulder then pressed his nose to his lover's cheek. "Now you've got me actually likin' Christmas."

Not one to be deflected for very long, the winter spirit chuckled and reached up to gently grab one of Bunny's ears. "I still want to see what it does to you. You don't tell me you can change your form without showing me," he said, letting the ear go to scratch under his lover's chin. "I might just slip you some chocolate one day."

Aster had expected this and already knew he'd have to be rather diligent. "Then I might just have to make ya suffer the consequences."

"I'll take the risk."

Bunny had no doubt that he would.


	10. Chapter 10

Jack arrived in the burrow early again the next day. It felt a little like a repeat of the day that they'd decorated their Christmas tree as he bore a bag slung over his back. The bag was smaller than that one but didn't stop Bunny's curiosity from being piqued as he leaned in close, wondering what was in it.

"I don't think I can fit more decorations on the walls, frostbite," Bunny said with a small frown. It was surprising to him that it actually was disappointing that he probably couldn't squeeze even another wreath if he wanted to.

Saying nothing, the winter spirit took out a few small bolts of fabric and piled them on the low table of the sitting area. They were all Christmas designs and colours, some of them shimmering with glitter and others looking as soft as fur. Another bolt of white, shaggy trim was put beside the others along with a box of thread, scissors and a pincushion.

With the bag emptied, Jack motioned to the materials. "We nearly forgot one thing, Bunny. Do you know how _Twas the Night Before Christmas_ goes?" he asked, looking at his lover expectantly.

"Sure do," Aster replied, reciting it almost instantly in his head.

_Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house_   
_Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse._   
_The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,_   
_In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there._

He paused after that verse, looking at the fabric with a soft grin. "Stockings? I didn't even think we needed 'em since we've got gifts to unwrap in the mornin'." Bunny nodded to the tree and noticed for the first time that his two presents had multiplied at some point. Shaking his head, he shrugged lightly. "If ya wanted 'em, we could've just taken a couple from the workshop."

For once, Jack was the one who looked at the Pooka with frustration. "No more taking things pre-made from the workshop. We're going to make one of our own then put it by your..." He trailed off, looking at the thing that passed for a fireplace in the burrow.

It was square, made up of clay bricks that were grey and, while it looked like a fireplace, it was definitely just a heater and a stove. That didn't deter Jack, however, as he motioned toward the heater with a finger outstretched.

"We'll hang them from there."

Knowing it was pointless to argue, Aster moved closer to the table and sat down at it. He picked up a couple of bolts of fabric, setting each one aside until he found one that caught his eye. A simple pattern but one that suited him nonetheless, it had a green background and red pointsettieas dotted around it.

"We're gettin' awfully close to Christmas. Are ya sure we haven't forgotten anythin' else?" Bunny said, arching a brow.

Jack rolled his eyes and let out a soft breath before sitting down beside his lover. "I thought you were actually warming up to Christmas," he murmured, hands resting on a bolt of fabric.

There was obvious disappointment in every motion that Jack made, even as he got up and rummaged through the bag for a pattern that was for cutting out their stockings. He sat back down and did nothing more besides set the patterns down on the fabric bolts. One thing Jack was good at was pouting.

Aster took in a soft breath then let out slowly, closing his eyes. "Look, mate. I am warmin' up to it or else you, the tree and the wreaths would be sittin' somewhere far away from me." He let out a breathy laugh, unrolling some of the fabric from the bolt he chose. "I didn't think about stockings because you and I don't really like coverin' our feet much, do we?"

Finally the winter spirit cracked a smile and he laughed, looking over to his lover. "No, I guess we don't."

"I'm still hopin' that those elves will get those cute boots on your feet one day," Bunny said with a smirk, starting to move the fabric that they wouldn't be using.

Before one of the bolts could be moved, Jack grabbed it and put it with one other that he had beside him. "There's not enough eggnog at the Pole to make me wear those," he said, making a face of disgust. "If I wear those, I'm making boots for you."

"Good luck with that, frostbite."

With the table relatively cleared, Bunny spread out his fabric and pinned the pattern to a length of it before cutting the strip from the bolt. He set it aside then motioned for Jack to put the fabric he chose up on the table so he could do the same to it. There was a bit of reluctance as the two bolts were put on the table.

One of them was a light blue with snowflakes on it while the other had a deeper blue background and a snowy scene running up the length. The latter was very Christmas-themed, a small, snow-covered town with the silhouette of a sleigh being drawn by reindeer flying across the moon. Clearly, Jack was torn between fitting with the holiday and fitting with the season.

Idly, Aster found himself wondering if that was how he felt a lot of the time at this time of year. Snow was inevitably tied up with thoughts of Christmas, many popular songs even making that bond. He'd never thought of it before but, now that he was, he found he didn't have the heart to ask.

"I can use both of them, can't I?" Jack finally asked, pulling a length from both of the bolts. "Just have two different sides. I've seen that before."

That was a solution that Bunny could relate to. As he pinned the pattern on both different types of fabric and cut it out, the Pooka noticed that he had two sides of his own. To anyone else, he was still the prickly Easter Bunny who preferred to keep to himself. To Jack, he was much kinder, softer. While they still fought, he'd been doing his best to keep that under control so they didn't spend this time apart from one another.

They both moved on to cutting out the stocking itself which then led to sewing. Aster at least knew how to do it but he set his own aside when he saw the blank look that his lover gave to the threaded needle.

"Here, let me show ya," he said as Jack relented his hold on the fabric. Bunny made a starting stitch then followed along the edges, noticing that, for once, the young Guardian was actually watching. "It's easy, just keep your stitches close but not tight, yeah?"

Now Jack took over, carefully trying to mimic what Bunny had done. He fell into a rhythm and visibly relaxed as he noticed how well it was coming together. "When did you learn to sew?"

"A long, long time ago. Don't think I can even remember when it was but I'm the one who made my coat." Aster looked over as he pulled the needle and thread through for another stitch. "I don't do it as often any more but it's somethin' you don't forget."

This seemed to amuse the winter spirit more than something like that should have. He didn't say anything for a while, concentrating on getting around one of the corners of the stocking before setting it down. "Is there anything you _don't_ know how to do?" he asked, a small smirk on his lips.

Bunny didn't even look up from what he was doing and he didn't even need to think very long on that question. "I can't ride a bike and I don't know how to ice skate," he said. They were the two that had instantly come to mind though there was a long list of things he didn't know about.

"You should ask Santa for a bike and skates for Christmas," Jack teased, his eyes glinting with mischief. "That's another tradition we haven't done yet and time's running out."

Even though he knew that his lover was joking, Aster wrinkled his nose. "Not enough eggnog in the world to make me write somethin' to North, even as a joke," he grumbled, tying off his stitches. "He'd love seein' me fall on my arse tryin' to learn how to do either of those things."

Jack tried to stifle his laugh but didn't succeed, his shoulders still shaking when he held out his stocking for Aster to finish off. He collected himself enough to start unrolling the fuzzy trim that would go on the top of the stockings but a grin was still on his lips. "I could teach you how to skate even without using ice skates. It might be just sliding on your feet but it'd be fun."

No doubt it would be fun. Images ran through Bunny's mind of the both of them on a frozen surface, the Pooka trying to keep his feet from sliding out the wrong way. His behind hurt just thinking about it and the idea that North or anyone else would catch him made him shudder. He quickly shook his head to dismiss the idea.

The final stitch was tied off and it was easy to sew the trim on. Bunny took strips from the scraps of their stockings and made a loop for them to be hung, sewing them in by himself. He eventually laid them out and let Jack look at the finished products.

It wasn't hard to tell which one belonged to whom and they both agreed that names weren't needed on these ones. Even if they weren't to be filled with goodies, these stockings would look good when put in place. The bag that Jack had brought provided the hangers, weighted hooks that kept the stocking in place. One of the hooks was in the shape of a sleeping rabbit while the other was a snowman, both of them wearing Santa Claus hats.

Aster stepped back once he hung his stocking, tipping his head to one side. "Looks pretty good, I guess."

"You guess?" Jack said, nudging his lover with his elbow. "I think they look great."

They stood in silence for a moment before Bunny cleared his throat. "Tomorrow's Christmas Eve, frostbite. You'll be at North's for the gatherin', won't you?"

Jack moved to stand in front of his lover, moving in to press against him before putting his arms around the Pooka. "That's like asking if the sky is blue, Cottontail. I wouldn't miss it for anything, trust me." He stood up on his toes and pressed a kiss to Bunny's lips, pulling away with a smile. "I'll see you there."

The winter spirit pulled away and Aster frowned, watching as Jack grabbed his staff then opened the door. "What, you're not stayin' here tonight?"

"I still have a present of yours to wrap and there's something else I wanted to do," Jack said, clearly not happy that he had to leave, either. "You'll get me all night tomorrow and all Christmas Day. Just trust me, Aster. I won't let you down."

Not waiting to hear anything more, the young Guardian left in the direction of the tunnels. Aster moved to the door, watching as Jack left through the one that would lead him to the workshop. He put a hand on the frame of the door and sat there for a while, a soft smile on his lips. He wondered how long it would be before that dreadful Easter so long ago would be purged from Jack's mind.

"I do trust ya, I just wish you believed me when I say that."


	11. Chapter 11

The Christmas gathering at North's always started early and lasted an entire day. Even though North himself wasn't there for the vast majority of it, that didn't stop the entire workshop from shifting to merrymaking rather than toy making. The chefs would pull out all the stops to make a wonderful spread of food to feed an army.

Aster was actually the first one to arrive that day, a habit which was rather hard to break. He'd always wake up and have nothing but a cup of tea before going to the Pole and finding a seat off to the side. All he'd ever wanted was for it to be over and done with so he could turn the focus to his own holiday which was only months down the line.

Now he walked slowly, cautiously, into the open room where the festivities always took place. Even though he was the first Guardian here, the room was a hive of activity with elves and yetis going back and forth to set things up. Two trees lit up and decorated with care sat on either side of the large fireplace, colourful boxes sitting under them. A long table decorated with a festive tablecloth was set up on one side of the room, a wide variety of foods laid out on it.

Knowing that he would have to be less of a wallflower this year, Aster approached the table and looked for things he could eat. It appeared that there was more than enough for him to get a decent meal without having to dodge meat and chocolate. Raw vegetables, fresh salads and even a few dishes that didn't have turkey or ham in them were set out for the taking. He settled on a plate of carrots and celery with a wonderful ranch dip to add a bit of a punch.

Grabbing a mug of eggnog, Bunny retreated to one of the seats off to the side. He was still incredibly early to the party as he usually was and he knew he needed to stay out of the way of preparations. It would be some time still before anyone else arrived, after all.

He found his way to the library eventually, taking a book that he was certain he hadn't read and sitting there to read it. To everyone, this was absolutely normal but he knew that they would be surprised when they gathered together later and even Bunny was there to join in the fun.

It was Jack who found him what felt a short while later. It wasn't until he peered at the book he was reading that he realised he'd probably spent a few hours holed up in the library. The winter spirit was a welcome distraction as he grabbed the book and pulled it out of Bunny's reach so he couldn't bury himself in it again.

"Merry Christmas, Cottontail," Jack said, leaning in and giving his lover a quick kiss. "You're not going to spend the whole party in here."

The fact that it was a statement rather than a question didn't escape Aster's notice, a small laugh leaving him. He reached up and ignored the noise of shock that left the young Guardian as he was pulled into an embrace. "Not alone," he murmured, pressing his lips to Jack's in a more intimate kiss.

Both of them stayed like that for what felt like an eternity until Jack pulled away. His cheeks were flushed and a breathless laugh left him as he leaned in to nuzzle the Pooka. "Come on, Bunny. I promised that we'd spend tonight together and I meant it but we've got a party to get to."

Aster released the winter spirit who extended his hand. "If you're insistin'," he said, taking the offered hand.

They went to the main room and, as he expected, there was a decent amount of surprise that followed Bunny's entrance. There wasn't a huge fuss made which suited the Pooka just fine. All he wanted was to join them, to try and capture the feeling that he was quickly associating with Christmas.

Dinner was always the first thing they took care of and North was there to carve the turkey. Granted, he arrived at the last minute and was dusted with snow but he never missed their gathering. No matter how egotistical he was, Bunny had to admit that North still cared about all of them in his own way. He did appreciate them joining in for his holiday.

Regardless, he had a job to do and dinner was just the start of the ex-Cossack's big day. He gave Bunny a heavy pat on the back and laughed as he hopped into his sleigh. "Is good to see you out again, Bunny. No more hiding in your hole on Christmas!" he said, giving Jack a quick look. It seemed like Bunny's presence was a collaboration between the two. "Now, Merry Christmas to all!"

With a snap of the reins, the reindeer sprinted away and all anyone could hear was the jolly laughter of their friend. Aster remembered the first launch with a soft smile, the confidence with which North had taken to the skies astounding even him.

A light tug to his hand signified that it was time for them to return to making merry. The gathering always went on for a little while longer even if the star of the show wasn't there. As Bunny was understanding now, Christmas was a time for family and friends. Jack had reminded him of the real reason why the holiday was so important and shown that the Pooka had lost that somewhere along the way.

The four Guardians went back into the decorated room where Christmas music was now playing. It wasn't just the Guardians that were now there, some of the yetis also taking the time to be with loved ones and friends. Some had even taken to dancing in the centre of the room which had made Jack laugh the first time, not that Aster could blame him. They were still better dancers than he would ever be though he had to admit that he's not tried dancing in some time.

A rousing version of _The Christmas Song_ filled the air and Tooth closed her eyes with a small hum of appreciation. "Oh, it's my favourite song." She opened her eyes quickly and laughed, looking at Jack who had a light grin on his face. "Not just because it mentions you, Jack."

"Of course not," he said with a mock bow. Straightening himself, he looked over to Bunny with an odd look of apprehension. "Would you mind if I danced with Tooth for this song?" he asked, almost immediately appearing to regret the question.

It wasn't an odd request and they were all friends but, considering the last time they saw each other, Bunny supposed this was part of Jack still thinking he wasn't trusted. Determined to show the winter spirit that he was wrong, Aster nodded and gave his lover a small nudge. "Go on, ya gumbies. I'll still be here when ya get back."

Looking incredibly relieved, Jack handed his staff to Bunny then took Tooth's hand and led her to where others were dancing. Bunny wondered if Jack still felt guilty for falling in love with a giant rabbit rather than the beautiful Tooth Fairy. They'd tried at it but both found that they made better friends rather than lovers.

Holding Jack's staff in one hand and a mug of eggnog in the other, Aster watched on the sidelines as the two talked and danced. Early in their relationship, he knew that he would have been less inclined to sit and watch. It had taken a lot of self-control to curb his possessiveness and even now he could feel it sitting in the pit of his stomach. There were times it surprised even him though it really shouldn't. He was the last of his kind and having a mate like this was important for him.

Aster put a stop to his thought processes before they began, noticing that Jack and Tooth were returning to the table. Before Tooth could even get a chance to catch her breath, Sandy took her hands and led her back out to the dance floor. It wasn't surprising to see even Sandy wanted to get in on the fun though Bunny wondered how much of that was attributed to the eggnog he'd downed. He wasn't exactly steady and a little too enthusiastic for someone dancing to a soft instrumental version of _It Came Upon A Midnight Clear_.

Instead of handing his staff back to him, Bunny leaned it up against the table and set down the mug he had. He extended a hand and bowed regally, looking up with a grin.

"My turn to take my mate out for a spin," he said. "Might I have this dance?"

Jack chuckled and accepted the offered hand, both of them walking out to the dance floor. They both fell into step though it took a little bit more for Bunny to find his rhythm. Eventually he figured out what his feet were doing and avoided stepping on Jack's feet. He looked down with irritation for a moment and let out a soft sigh.

"This is why I don't dance."

There was a small _tsk_ sound before Jack leaned in so that he was directly in his lover's sights. While he was being mocked a little, there was no denying the small smile on the winter spirit's face which meant he wasn't trying to be mean. "You're not _that_ bad, Cottontail. I'm not limping yet so I'd say that it's a success."

Bunny laughed a little, shaking his head. "If you say so."

The young Guardian said nothing, seemingly just content to enjoy the rest of their dance. He closed his eyes and then appeared to want to say something but it wouldn't leave him. Aster didn't rush him or call attention to it, trusting that Jack would actually tell him if he needed or wanted anything.

"Thank you." The words tumbled from Jack's lips and he caught himself with a soft laugh. "I've really enjoyed our Christmas so...thank you. You've done a lot for me even though I kind of forced you into it."

"Jack, ya didn't force me into anythin'. I was just lettin' you have a fair go even if I thought Christmas could go hang itself." Bunny smiled lightly, feeling his lover cringe at that. Reaching up with one hand, he put it on Jack's cheek which made him look up. "You've made me like our Christmas, too. I should be the one thankin' you."

A bright smile crossed Jack's face and he pulled himself up enough to give Aster a loving kiss. When he pulled away, he looked smug and satisfied as he reached up to thread his fingers in the Pooka's chest fur. "You can go ahead now and thank me."

"Not here, I can't," Bunny said with a cheeky smirk. He reached up to catch that hand before it flew away, pulling Jack a bit closer. Though the winter spirit squirmed, it wasn't serious and he didn't try very hard to get away. "Let's say we book it before I decide to give 'em a bit of a show."

While the young Guardian was the most rebellious of the bunch, even he had his limits. His eyes went wide then he laughed, shaking his head. "All right, all right! Just let me get my staff." He was let go and he took a few steps back, gesturing to Bunny's feet with one finger. "You get started on making the rabbit hole, I'll be right there," Jack said, turning to the food table.

Shrugging and not really concerned, Bunny tapped his foot to make the hole appear. He didn't get the chance to turn around to see if Jack was coming before the winter spirit darted down into the tunnels, leaving mischievous laughter in his wake.

"Goodnight, Tooth, Sandy," Aster said, nodding to his friends. "Merry Christmas and see ya on New Year's."

Getting his farewell returned, Bunny waited then bowed to them before hopping into the tunnels himself. Jack already had a head start and that suited him just fine. There was no real rush since they had no time table for anything. It was their night now, their time to spend Christmas together doing as they pleased.

As expected, Jack was first to the burrow and was standing off to one side while playing with his staff a little. He turned as he heard Bunny enter, grinning widely as he held his staff behind him then let the hook dangle over their heads as he got closer. It was a mystery as to why but the Pooka didn't have to question it for very long as he felt something brush against his ears.

Looking up, he saw the white berries and green leaves that were unmistakably mistletoe. Jack had taken the time to tie it to his staff just so they could share a traditional kiss under the familiar plant.

"You remember what mistletoe is for, don't you?" Jack teased, looking at his lover eagerly.

Bunny felt that it was better to let his actions answer that question. He leaned in for a kiss which was returned readily and the staff quickly clattered to the floor. Arms wrapped loosely around his neck and Bunny pulled his lover into his arms as he hummed appreciatively into their kiss.

As with all kisses, this one eventually ended, both of them pulling away and breathing a little heavily. One of Jack's hands went into his hoodie's pocket, pulling out a rather familiar foil-wrapped object. He frowned down at it, holding it between his fingers before he grabbed one of Aster's hands and put it into his palm.

It was chocolate, Aster knew that without even unwrapping it. At some point during the night, Jack was likely going to slip it into the Pooka's mouth just to see what would happen. He held it up to look at it, the shiny wrapper glinting in the candlelight.

"I'm sorry," Jack murmured. He let out a soft sigh, not daring to look up at his lover. "I know you trust me, that's why I couldn't do it."

At one point, Bunny knew he would have chased the winter spirit out of his home for such a thing. Right now, he actually felt like he understood Jack's motives just a little. He was curious, he wanted to see and to know everything about his very different boyfriend. It could have been dangerous but he was willing to take the risk since Aster had been less than forthcoming about the changes that he went through with chocolate.

There was a pause before Bunny began to take the foil off of the tiny chocolate. Jack's head jerked up and he shook his head quickly, clearly trying to say that it was all right. Well, it _wasn't_ all right, not at all. No one else had dared to look past everything about the cranky, over sized rabbit that was the Easter Bunny. The winter spirit deserved to see and to know.

Closing his eyes, Aster popped the rather large chocolate egg into his mouth and made a small noise of pleasure. He loved it, oh how he loved it. The taste, not too sweet and that delicious, creamy texture on his tongue was almost too much. He rolled it over his tongue for a moment, letting it melt before he downed it completely and felt that sensation of his body morphing take over him.

"Whoa," Jack whispered, not even stepping back a little as he saw the changes.

It'd been some time since even Bunny had seen himself with more than two arms. He now had six of them, each of them able to work independently of each other. The look on the young Guardian's face said it all. He was amazed, not frightened like others may have been.

Reaching down to grab the winter spirit's staff, Aster straightened himself and held it out. "I trust ya but I didn't trust ya enough to show you this, mate. You're not runnin' the other way so I'm guessin' it's not so bad."

Once Aster spoke, it knocked Jack out of his shock and he took the offered staff with a grin. He perched it on his shoulder, still watching with amazement at how the Pooka moved. "I could get used to it," he said with a light shrug.

The staff shifted again to hang over their heads, an expectant look on Jack's face.

Bunnymund knew that he never once really understood what Christmas was about. North always spoke of the wonder and magic, how there was so much joy to be had for one time of year. He'd thought he understood but years of having no friends or family had distanced him from what it was really like to care for someone. There was a bit of amusement that rolled through him as he realised his heart had been thawed by someone who specialised in freezing things.

One set of arms pulled Jack close while the other had one hand lay over his lover's chest. "Merry Christmas, frostbite," he murmured, reaching up with his other set of hands to put them on the winter spirit's cheeks.

They both shared a loving kiss before deciding to curl up in their nest of plush pillows. Six arms held tightly to Jack who turned to face Aster, burying himself in that thick, soft fur. It didn't take long for Bunny to find sleep, idly wondering what Christmas morning would bring.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the final one. I almost thought that I wasn't going to make it on time as I kept on getting sidetracked and then eventually caught a cold five days before Christmas. Not to mention the ice storm that hit where I live which knocked power out for over twenty-four hours. Everything conspired against me for finishing this fic but I pulled through in the end.
> 
> I truly hope all of you have enjoyed my gift to the fandom. This honestly was the first time that I followed my gut and wrote whatever I felt like. Now I'm going to take a long winter's nap until January JackRabbit Week where I might or might not write a fic for that week.
> 
> Merry Christmas to all and I wish you a safe and Happy New Year! ♥

The chocolate had worn off completely - as Aster knew it would - by the time they both awoke. It usually didn't stick around for all that long, just enough to get a job done. He would have to make ones that lasted at least an entire night just so he had the upper-hand in waking his lover up.

It was Jack who woke first and had actually let Bunny sleep for a little while before he insisted on poking him awake. At first, the Pooka ignored the summons, his ears twitching and a small grumble leaving him. If he had need for a blanket, he would have pulled it up over his head so he could get a bit more sleep. Lacking the blanket, he couldn't ward off Jack from leaning in and whispering in his ear.

"Get up, Cottontail. It's Christmas!"

Just like a kid. Aster sighed and rolled over with a wide yawn, one that was cut short as Jack climbed on top of him. He looked down, unable to stop grinning as he saw the excited glint in the winter spirit's eyes.

"How old are ya again?" he teased, gently nudging Jack off of him.

Ignoring the question, the young Guardian went to kneel in front of the tree. He pulled out two boxes, one of them small and the other one fairly large. Both had been wrapped carefully with beautiful paper, the edges of which appeared frosted. Aster came over to do the same, handing over the two gifts that he'd gotten for his lover.

Though Jack still looked incredibly eager to tear into his gifts, he nodded to Bunny. "You first."

Bunny sat down and pulled the smaller gift toward him, one hand running over the paper. It was distinctly Jack Frost, beautiful snowflakes covered a deep green background. As he'd noticed earlier, there was a small sheen to each of the edges on the box which reminded him of the frost that was on Jack's clothes.

"Get a move on, Bunny," the winter spirit said, shifting impatiently.

Finally getting the courage to do it, Bunny began to unwrap his gift. He couldn't help himself and he gently teased at one end, pulling the box underneath out without destroying the wrapping. Jack chuckled softly at this, shaking his head a little before motioning for Aster to open it.

Pulling off the top of the box revealed a set of teacups with matching saucers. Aster took one of them out to take a closer look at the pattern on it, noticing that it was of a white rabbit sitting in the middle of a snowy forest. The forest wrapped all the way around the cup while the saucer had a large snowflake in its centre.

"These are beauts, mate. Thank you," he murmured, turning the cup and saucer over in his hands again. The other was the same which didn't bother him in the least. He had at least ten that were identical though each had their own amount of wear. "Guess ya saw my other cups."

Jack chuckled lightly, looking pleased and somewhat relieved that his gift was being so well received. "I'll start replacing them a couple at a time. Easter's just around the corner."

Easter. Bunny had to laugh at that one because, to anyone not in on their joke, it would seem a silly thing to say. No one really gave out gifts on Easter, after all. Jack had gotten the idea to label Bunny's holiday as his birthday and now started giving gifts to the Pooka on that day. Naturally, it moved every year but it didn't deter the winter spirit from doing something for his lover.

Aster laughed a little himself, shaking his head as he carefully put the teacup and saucer back into its box. He set it aside then motioned toward Jack's gifts. "Your turn now, frostbite. Don't worry about ruinin' anythin', just go for it."

Despite what he said, the young Guardian hesitated over which one he wanted to open first. The one that had been done up in painted paper was set aside for now, making it obvious that Jack was worried he'd ruin the paper. Setting the box in front of him, he pulled on the ribbon to let the lengths fall to either side but he didn't open it right away. Instead, he put his hand on the top of the present and smiled over at Aster.

"I wish I could have done something like this for you," he said, his smile faltering slightly.

There was no hesitation in the slightest as Aster reached forward to put his hand over Jack's. "It's not the box or the paper it's wrapped in, Jack. It's the thought put into it. You did just fine and I appreciate everythin' you've done."

Brightening considerably, Jack nodded then opened the lid on the box. His eyes went a little wide as he saw what was inside of it, pulling out an article of clothing. "Wow," he whispered, holding it in his hands.

It was a new hoodie, of course. Bunny had taken a bit of time to find a pattern for it and made it special for the winter spirit. He would undoubtedly be able to add his own touch of frost but it had light threads to simulate frost along every edge. It was a bit lighter blue than what Jack currently wore, the hood, wrist cuffs and bottom of the jacket having snow white trim.

"Keep diggin', mate," Aster encouraged, nodding to the box.

Furrowing his brow, the hoodie was gently set aside so he had both hands free to take out the other thing that sat inside the box. He pulled out a new pair of deep blue jeans and a brown leather belt. "You got me new clothes?" he asked breathelessly.

Aster nodded a little, a content smile tugging at his lips. "I made 'em for ya. I thought it was time for a change," he said, shrugging just a little. He paused a moment then chuckled. "Not too big of a change, just an update."

It was quite the update, really. The hoodie was a bit thicker than the one Jack currently wore and the pants were pristine. He'd thought of including a pair of boots as a joke but had decided against it. This was a time for being happy and having fun but not at the other's expense. The last thing he wanted was an argument on Christmas.

Jack got to his feet and quickly uttered, "Wait here!" before he disappeared into the kitchen. It took only a few quick moments before the winter spirit emerged again in his new clothes. As Bunny had said, it was an update and it didn't change what Jack looked like overly much. The jeans were a decent change but... Well, Bunny couldn't exactly say he did look the same but perhaps it was just him.

He didn't notice that Jack was approaching until the young Guardian fell into his arms. He almost wished that the smaller gift had been opened first as it wasn't as special compared to what he'd just unwrapped.

They embraced for a moment or two, Aster wasn't exactly counting the time. Eventually Jack pulled away, pressing his lips hard against the Pooka's then turning to sit in his lap. "Thanks," he finally said, pulling at the hoodie a little. "This is great."

It was Jack who reached forward to hand Bunny his second gift. He said nothing to encourage him to open the large box that had been decorated with frost on a blue background. Bunny idly wondered if Jack actually had done this one up himself with a paintbrush. It was beautiful but he noticed that it was indeed paper. Fortunately, it was paper that was wrapped to fit, the lid only being tied on by a pearl white ribbon.

Tugging at the ribbon, he opened the box and pulled aside a bit of tissue paper. Sitting inside on a thicker bed of tissue paper were two arm covers that were made of leather. They were sitting face up so Bunny could see that this wasn't just some mere update as he'd tried to pass Jack's clothes off as. In the centre of them was the symbol that represented him as a Guardian. It wasn't just burned in but made of a fine jem, jade if he had to take a guess. Carefully crafted and tiny eggs decorated the edges, each of which a different kind of gem as well.

"Oh, Jack," he murmured, taking them out and holding them up. Bunny didn't waste any time, removing his old gauntlets to put on the new ones. They fit perfectly and he even took a swing of an arm, noticing that there was no threat of it slipping off.

He tilted his head to kiss his lover, grinning as he heard a soft noise leave Jack's throat. Aster pulled away, but only just barely, reaching up with one hand to put it on Jack's cheek. "Thank ya, frostbite."

Bunny looked with apprehension at the last gift which the young Guardian now pulled toward him. He was bouncing slightly in place, a habit that Bunny had noticed when Jack would get almost so excited he couldn't contain it. It only made Aster a bit more apprehensive, hoping that this gift would be taken just as well as the clothes had.

As expected, Jack was slow with opening it, being careful not to tear the paper. It was almost like magic when the wooden case was slipped from the wrapping which was completely intact. He held the case out in front of him for a moment before lifting the latch and flipping open the lid.

Sitting inside was a paintbrush. It had been carved and decorated with snowflakes which made it distinctly Jack's own brush.

Jack lifted the brush from its holder, his fingertips tracing over the carvings along its handle. "A paintbrush," he said, his voice almost filled with wonder. "Why would you...?"

"It's been a long time comin', Jack. I want ya joinin' me to paint the googies on Easter," Bunny said, feeling a bit silly for even asking. After the joy that had been given with the new clothes, it seemed a bit underwhelming to only give a paintbrush.

Yet, Jack didn't seem underwhelmed in the least. He was looking at the brush like he'd just been handed something sacred. Aster supposed that, in the three or so years since they'd been together, he'd never explicitly asked Jack to join him on his holiday. Delivery was one thing but trusting him to put a brush to an eggshell was something else.

Arms wrapped tightly around Aster once more, Jack burying his face in the thick fur of the Pooka's shoulder. Bunny returned the embrace, nuzzling his lover affectionately. Clearly he'd underestimated his own gifting abilities.

Though they pulled out of the tight embrace, they kept their arms around each other. Jack returned the nuzzles he'd gotten before, purposely putting his head under Bunny's chin. "Thanks, Cottontail." He paused, leaning back a bit so Bunny could see the smile on his lover's face. "I think you did better at this than I did even though I was the one who asked you for it."

Shaking his head, Aster gently kissed Jack's forehead. "We both did somethin' good for each other, mate." Putting his hand on the winter spirit's cheek again, he looked into the bright blue eyes and smiled. "Merry Christmas, Jack."

"Merry Christmas, Bunny," Jack murmured, leaning in for another kiss.

They would definitely have to do this again next year.


End file.
